On the news, media literacy, and journalism
Guides and comparisons for readers, students, and the journalists who report the news.
- For readers
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For readers · August 2026
The best Ground News alternatives in 2026
AllSides, Media Bias/Fact Check, NewsGuard, Tangle, and Newsreel, compared honestly as alternatives to Ground News, and why people go looking in the first place.
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For readers · August 2026
The best News Break alternatives in 2026
The apps and platforms worth trying instead of News Break, from Google News and AP News to Newsreel, and who each one is for.
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For readers · August 2026
Why social media algorithms make you angry
X published the code behind its For You feed, and read plainly it explains why an engagement-ranked feed pushes anger to the top.
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For readers · August 2026
The best fact-checking tools and websites in 2026
The fact-checking sites and free tools worth using in 2026, from Snopes and PolitiFact to Google Fact Check Explorer, plus the lateral reading and SIFT methods checkers rely on.
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For readers · August 2026
How to spot AI slop on LinkedIn
Machine-written LinkedIn posts have a house style. Here are the tells that give them away, from the broetry format to AI headshots, and where to read real reporting instead.
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For readers · August 2026
How to spot AI slop on Substack
How to tell real reporting from AI-generated filler newsletters on Substack, using the content, author, and image tells that hold up. A cluster of signals beats any detector.
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For readers · August 2026
The best news apps in 2026
Apple News, Google News, Ground News, AP, and Newsreel, compared on what each does, what it costs, and where it falls short.
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For readers · August 2026
The best ad-free news apps in 2026
The news apps with few or no ads, from public media and AP to Newsreel, and how each one is actually funded.
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For readers · August 2026
The best Apple News and Google News alternatives
Why people leave the big aggregators, and what to use instead, from Ground News and Feedly to Newsreel.
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For readers · August 2026
How to stop doomscrolling the news
A step-by-step way to break the habit: name the trigger, cut the alerts, curate your sources, and pick news that ends.
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For readers · August 2026
Where does Gen Z get their news?
Most of Gen Z gets news from social feeds and video, not news sites. What the research shows, and the trust problem it creates.
Read the guide → - For journalists
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For journalists · August 2026
The best Substack alternatives for journalists in 2026
Ghost, Beehiiv, Medium, Patreon, and Newsreel, compared on where you can publish and still own your audience and your economics.
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For journalists · August 2026
How to make money as an independent journalist in 2026
The real revenue lines for independent journalists: subscriptions, sponsorships, grants, freelancing, memberships, and platforms that pay.
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For journalists · August 2026
How to build an audience as a journalist in 2026
Pick a beat, own an email list, publish consistently, and make your credibility legible. What actually builds a following.
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For journalists · August 2026
Where can journalists publish and keep their audience?
Substack, Ghost, Beehiiv, Medium, WordPress, and Newsreel, compared on who owns the audience and how the money works.
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For journalists · August 2026
How to get verified as a journalist online
What verification really means for a reporter now, why it matters more in the AI age, and practical ways to build the signals.
Read the guide → - For schools and libraries
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Guide for educators · August 2026
TweenTribune alternatives for teachers
Smithsonian retired TweenTribune and educators can no longer assign content to students. The closest replacements, compared honestly on reading levels, quizzes, and cost.
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Guide for educators · August 2026
How to choose a literacy tool subscription you can trust
Six questions to ask before you spend a budget line: who writes the content, what happens to student data, accessibility, standards, independent recognition, and whether it is actually maintained.
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Guide for educators · July 2026
The best media literacy tools for schools in 2026
An honest comparison of the tools teachers actually use, from Checkology and Common Sense to Kialo, with grade levels, cost, and what each one is best for.
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Guide for educators · July 2026
The best current events websites for students in 2026
The current events sites teachers actually use, by grade level and reading ability, from CNN 10 and PBS NewsHour to Newsela, with free and paid options.
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Guide for educators · July 2026
7 best free Newsela alternatives for teachers in 2026
Free and low-cost replacements for Newsela's leveled reading, from CommonLit and ReadWorks to Diffit, plus the closest match for daily news.
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Guide for students · July 2026
How to spot fake news: a step-by-step guide for students
The method fact-checkers actually use, in steps a student can run on a phone: the SIFT method and lateral reading.
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Guide for educators · July 2026
The best social studies websites for teachers in 2026
The sites teachers rely on for primary sources, civics, geography, and current events, from iCivics and the Library of Congress to Khan Academy.
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Guide for students and teachers · August 2026
How to spot AI-generated content and images in 2026
What actually works now: content credentials, reverse image search, and the real tells, plus the myths that no longer do, like counting fingers.
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Explainer · August 2026
What is news literacy?
A clear, sourced definition of news literacy, how it differs from media literacy, and why it matters for students.
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Guide for educators · August 2026
How to teach media literacy in the classroom
The frameworks that work, the weekly routines that make it stick, and the state mandates driving it, with where to start on Monday.
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Guide for educators · August 2026
Media literacy activities and lesson ideas for high school
Eight ready-to-run activities, each built on a real artifact and a named method, with the free tools behind them.
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Guide for educators · August 2026
The best media bias tools for the classroom
AllSides, the Media Bias Chart, Ground News, and Media Bias/Fact Check, compared: what each tool does, how they differ, and where they fall short.
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